For many Suffolk undergraduates, law school is right around the corner. It wasn’t such an easy journey for senior political science student Ashlyn Curtis, however.

For Curtis, who will attend St. John’s Law School in the fall, the next steps after graduation were anything but black and white. 

Curtis grew up in the suburbs of Connecticut and was eager to get to the city to pursue her passion for law. Curtis came to Suffolk with an excitement for the opportunity to go to law school. Knowing Suffolk Law was right next door, she knew she was heading to the right place to prepare her for what came next.

“I came to Suffolk because I was really excited about that environment, the pre-law assistance and having their own law school. My goal had always been to go to Suffolk Law School,” said Curtis. Curtis finished her studies in December 2023 and now works as Testing Center Coordinator at Harvard University as she prepares to tackle law school.

As she continued with her time at Suffolk, Curtis was able to learn more about what it took to go to law school. While working as a peer advisor for the political science department, she was able to learn more about her options and where she could go with her knowledge and drive to work in the legal system from Associate Adviser David Gallant.

“I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, and then my senior year working with David I was learning more about law school. I learned I didn’t even want to be a lawyer, I wanted to get my JD and maybe explore other options,” said Curtis.

With her extended time with the political science department, she was able to grow as a student and take in all the department had to offer. The faculty within the department during Curtis’ time at Suffolk stood as an exceptional influence on her journey towards her future goals, always being a consistently positive presence for her.

“Elena Llaudet was my political science 201 professor, and I actually tutored for her class for a year. She really wants everyone to do well and she was very encouraging. Brian Collins was also awesome. I never had him, but his energy was always so upbeat. He was also super helpful with answering questions,” said Curtis.

Professor Rachel Cobb, the political science chair for much of Curtis’ time at Suffolk, was one of the biggest influences for Curtis. Cobb had a wealth of information about the department as a whole, which helped Curtis solidify her career choice and work towards new experiences and internships.

Curtis recalled one of her fondest memories at Suffolk being with Cobb, who taught a class that required the students to be poll workers for a day, something that put her out of her comfort zone and taught her something new.

“She had the whole class work as poll workers for the election in 2022. That was so cool I honestly probably would have never done that, but now I want to work at elections. It was just such a cool experience,” said Curtis.

She also was able to work in the office of Sen. Ed Markey, which allowed her to write policy briefs and learn more about the local legislation.

Although surrounded by so many exceptional influences, Curtis still felt lost in her journey to figure out her next steps in applying to law school. 

“The process of applying to law school was super taxing, and I don’t think anyone really knows what they are doing. You’re kind of just winging it, which was my experience. I had to go talk to my friends who were also applying. That process of figuring out letters of references, writing your personal statement, taking the LSAT, that process was a lot,” said Curtis.

While Curtis was not specifically studying undergraduate law, her experience with political science prepared her well for the demanding process of studying for the LSAT. While she thought she might be under prepared, Curtis found a lot of her developed skills from her undergraduate program served her well.

“For my degree, I felt prepared in terms of strength in writing skills and learning how to communicate, doing legal research … It was definitely connected,” said Curtis.

However, upon receiving her acceptance to Suffolk Law, Curtis had to rethink her next steps in regards to the finances. She had initially planned to pursue the three plus three program, which aims to help students who are pursuing a law degree complete their undergraduate studies a year early, ushering them right into Suffolk Law school.

But for Curtis, who faced financial barriers in pursuing this program, attending Suffolk Law was no longer feasible.

Despite the initial disappointment, Curtis was able to find her new home in St. John’s Law School in New York.

“I went to tour St. Johns and it was just awesome, I loved it there. I was then like, ‘Okay, I’m going to change up everything,’” said Curtis.

Curtis remains excited continuing on the track to law school with St. John’s. Although the journey was not always smooth, Curtis is grateful for all Suffolk was able to offer her during her undergraduate degree. As she moves on from Suffolk, Curtis hopes students pursuing law school in the future continue to benefit from the faculty and experience she had.

“Everyone was so friendly and wants you to succeed. Having that environment at Suffolk, that was just so helpful in getting me to the point I’m at now, where I’m going to law school. Everybody was just so helpful,” said Curtis.